The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationships among exercise participation, resilience and self-growth. The participants of 425 college students (male=168, female=254, mean age=19.16, SD=1.16) were asked to answer a questionnaire composed of the self-growth scale for university student (SGSUS), the exercise participation assessment scale for university students (EPASUS), and the resilience inventory for daily life of university students (RIDLUS). Exploratory factor analysis, correlation analyses and covariance structural analysis were conducted. The result of exploratory factor analysis identified a one-factor model with 10 items on SGSUS. The results of correlation analyses revealed statistically significant positive correlations between EPASUS, RIDLUS and SGSUS. Covariance structural analysis showed that the path coefficients from “Exercise Participation” to “Resilience” (both “Intrapersonal Resources” and “Social Resources”) and from “Intrapersonal Resources” to “Self-Growth” were statistically significant. The results suggested that higher participation in sports have enhanced intrapersonal resources and that higher intrapersonal resources promoted more cognition and behaviors related to self-growth.
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